Chickweed is sold on Amazon alongside testimonials from users about how chickweed products cured their skin cancers. So why did the U.S. Food and Drug Administration single out an old Amish farmer and had him indicted by a federal grand jury on a dozen criminal charges?

“The FDCA prohibited the introduction or delivery for introduction into interstate commerce (or the causing thereof) of any drug that was misbranded. A drug was misbranded if it was manufactured, prepared, propagated, compounded, or processed in an establishment that was not registered with the FDA. Chickweed Healing Salve, TO-MOR-GONE, and R.E.P. were each manufactured, prepared, propagated, and processed in GIROD’s unregistered establishment and, thus, were each misbranded.”

According to the federal complaint, the FDA inspected a convenience store in January 2012 after a consumer reported Girod’s products to the state health department in Missouri. In March 2012, federal marshals seized more than 1,600 containers of his products from the store, claiming they were misbranded drugs that violated FDA approval and labeling requirements.

Further, according to the federal complaint, Chickweed Healing Salve contained comfrey, which may increase the risk of systemic toxicity, and TO-MOR-GONE contains bloodroot, a caustic, corrosive substance that produces a thick scar that can mask tumor recurrence.

In 2013, a federal court in Missouri barred Girod from manufacturing and distributing some of his products until he met certain conditions, including allowing the FDA to inspect his production facilities. However, Girod kept the two FDA officers from inspecting his facility when they showed up in November 2013. Further, WKYT writes, Girod continued to sell the products without letting his customers know they were the subject of a court-ordered injunction. But The Homestead Guru reports:

“Girod changed his labels many times. He tried to peaceably cooperate with the authorities on many occasions. FDA representatives and the deputy sheriff came to his farm in late 2013 and agreed not to bring cameras, but they broke their word. After that, Girod declined their request to inspect his home, (correctly) citing that they did not have a warrant and therefore had no right to be there. The deputy sheriff agreed, and escorted the agents away — but the FDA didn’t like that.”

In his objections, Girod claims that his actions should not be governed under the FDA’s authority or regulations because “the FDA did not follow its own procedures.” Further, Girod asserts that the FDCA provisions involved in the case violate his First Amendment free speech and free exercise rights.

Incidentally, after he failed to be present for a court hearing in 2016, Girod was arrested at his farm in early January on “failure to appear” charges. He is now in jail without bond awaiting his trial scheduled for February 27, 2017. Bath County resident, Suza Moody, told The Free Thought Project:

“I can’t even figure out what he has done wrong. They live at the foot of the cross and the thought of one of them intentionally doing something wrong is outrageous. They are targeting the Amish because they don’t threaten. They don’t fight back, and they don’t like lawyers. They are just devastated. I mean when they brought him out in handcuffs. It was awful.”